Andersen Monogatari (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series was broadcast three years after the Toei Animation feature film The World of Hans Christian Andersen (1968), with which it shares composer Seiichirō Uno, lyricist Hisashi Inoue, screenplay writer Morihisa Yamamoto, and voice actress Eiko Masuyama. In the TV series, some Andersen tales were told in one episode, while others spanned several episodes, for a total of 31 storylines across 52 episodes. Two pixies, Canty (Bubbles in English) and Zucko (Bingo in English), serve as a framing device, attempting to modify the endings of the fairy tales for the better, though without much success.

In English-speaking countries, the series was released in the 1970s by Paramount Television under the title Paramount Pictures Presents Hans Christian Andersen. ATLAB Australia was hired to dub the anime, with English adaptation by Noel Judd. The English dub kept the original jazz-rock Japanese musical score but often altered character names and dialogues, sometimes to change overly sad endings. Episodes from the English dub are currently difficult to find. The English adaptation also served as a basis for dubs aired in other countries during the 1980s, including Italy, Germany, Catalonia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East.

Reader's Guide

Andersen Monogatari is significant as a key entry in the Calpis Comic Theater, which later evolved into the long-running World Masterpiece Theater franchise. The series represents an early anime anthology approach to classic literature, using a framing device of two pixies—a technique also seen in Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics. Its production involved notable staff, including composer Seiichirō Uno and voice actress Eiko Masuyama, who also voiced the Little Match Girl in the final episode. The series' legacy includes its international distribution, particularly the English dub by Paramount Television, which introduced Andersen's stories to a global audience. The series has been released on DVD in Japan, including a complete box set in 2008, but has never been released on home video outside Japan except for a 5-episode DVD in Germany. The series' varied styles—ranging from serious and dramatic to light-hearted—demonstrate the creative freedom given to staff members.

Did You Know?

• The series consists of 52 episodes covering 31 storylines, with some tales told over multiple episodes.
• The English dub altered character names and dialogues, sometimes changing overly sad endings, such as in episode 5.
• The series shares composer Seiichirō Uno, lyricist Hisashi Inoue, and voice actress Eiko Masuyama with the 1968 Toei film The World of Hans Christian Andersen.
• The framing device of two pixies was also used in Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics.

Production Lineage & Industry Impact

The series was produced by Mushi Production under the planning of Zuiyo Enterprise, airing on Fuji TV from January 3 to December 26, 1971. It served as the third installment in the Calpis Comic Theater block, a programming concept that would later evolve into the World Masterpiece Theater franchise. In 1975, Zuiyo Enterprise divided into two separate entities: Nippon Animation and Zuiyo Company. The latter retained the rights to the Andersen series alongside Mushi Production, while Nippon Animation absorbed several of the show's production staff and went on to carry forward the World Masterpiece Theater brand. This corporate split effectively divided the creative and rights-holding legacy of the series across two organizations, with Nippon Animation building directly on the production talent that had shaped Andersen Monogatari. The show thus occupies a pivotal position in the history of Japanese anime anthology television, bridging the early Calpis block and the more internationally recognized World Masterpiece Theater era that followed.

Narrative Framework & Creative Freedom

The series structured its 52 episodes around 31 distinct Andersen storylines, with some tales spanning a single episode and others unfolding across multiple installments. A recurring framing device featured two pixies—Canty and Zucko in the Japanese version—who attempted to intervene in the fairy tales to alter their conclusions, though they met with little success. Their overarching goal involved collecting 101 magic cards that materialized when good deeds were performed, a requirement for enrolling in the University of the Fairy Land. By the series' end, Canty had not completed her collection and seemed indifferent to the outcome. Production staff were explicitly encouraged to vary their artistic approaches and take creative liberties, resulting in a wide tonal range: certain episodes leaned into serious, dramatic territory while others adopted a lighter, more playful register. This flexibility gave individual animators and writers considerable room to interpret Andersen's source material in distinctive ways, making no two episodes feel quite the same.

International Reach & the English Dub

Outside Japan, the series was distributed in the 1970s by Paramount Television under the title Paramount Pictures Presents Hans Christian Andersen. ATLAB Australia handled the English-language dub, with Noel Judd overseeing the adaptation. Judd's version preserved the original jazz-rock Japanese musical score while modifying character names and dialogue, occasionally softening overly somber endings—most notably in episode 5. This English adaptation became the foundation for subsequent dubs that reached audiences across multiple countries during the 1980s, including Italy through syndication, Germany on Sat.1 and Kabel.1, Catalonia on TV3, Bulgaria on BT1, Mexico on XEQ-TV Canal 9, Greece on ERT and ET3, Turkey on TRT, and Kuwait Television in the Middle East. Despite this broad international footprint, episodes from the English dub are now considered difficult to locate, making the series a somewhat obscure artifact of 1970s anime export.

Cast, Characters & Shared Creative DNA

The series shared notable creative personnel with the 1968 Toei Animation feature film of the same name, including composer Seiichirō Uno, lyricist Hisashi Inoue, screenwriter Morihisa Yamamoto, and voice actress Eiko Masuyama. Masuyama voiced Canty (known as Bubbles in English), a clumsy, romantic shapeshifting apprentice pixie who aspires to become a princess, and also voiced Anna, the little match girl in the final episode. Her pixie companion Zucko (Bingo in English), voiced by Yasuo Yamada, was a mischievous, perpetually teasing male character depicted as completely naked with brown curly hair. The supporting cast was extensive, with numerous voice actors appearing across the 31 storylines. Characters like the Ugly Duckling (Minori Matsushima), Thumbelina (Yoko Kuri), and the Little Mermaid (Michiko Hirai) were brought to life by a rotating ensemble, reflecting the anthology format's demand for diverse vocal performances across a wide range of personalities and ages.